Started with a base layer of texture. Only some of the birds were sketched out. The rest of them I just tried to pull out from the ink/watercolor splatter texture of the background so that they evolved more organically out of the painting.

More birds.

And more birds.

Started onto Nyx. Bright blue for a little contrast, but still blending her vels and skirts out into the surrounding darkness.

And finally the sleeping town below. Started with a base wash with wet-in-wet dotting of some purple tones into the gold.